Africa-Press – Mauritius. The passage of time does not erase significant events. It is common to speak of the duty of memory in political, intellectual and cultural discourse. Very recently in Israel, the Holocaust has not sunk into oblivion but obliges us to remember those who suffered from the Holocaust during the Second World War.
In France, in England, in Mauritius, we see that certain functions go in the same direction: on the tomb of the unknown soldier, at Le Morne in memory of slaves, in the Pamplemousses garden on the samadhi of Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, for example.
Saturday April 22, 2017: the Arya Sabha Mauritius and the Gayasingh Ashram Committee recalled the contribution of Deorishi Boolell and Krisnowtee Bhuckory in the good management of the convent for orphans, the elderly and the sick in Port Louis.
For the occasion, the members of the committee in the presence of Minister Etienne Sinatambou, the president of Arya Samaj, the elder brother – Bhoomithtre Boolell, sister Krisnowtee Bhuckory and also other personalities from the political landscape such as Anil Gayan, Arvin Boolell and Satish Boolell, not to mention the followers of this association, gave the reception room the name of Deorishi Boolell.
In 2013, in the Mauritius Times newspaper, I described how Uncle Tipapa had continued the noble task of Pandit Gayasingh “a staunch disciple of the Arya Samaj movement” who, like Pandit Cashinath Kistoe, inspired several generations.
Bhoomithtre Boolell recalls the hard work of Teeluck Callychurn or Dr. J. Seegobin. They were able to raise funds to improve the buildings and give more comfort to orphaned children and disadvantaged people.
Voluntary work among former civil servants and retirees in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s was also a duty. It is nothing but a vocation. More and more rare are those who have this vocation.
The main reason: think of yourself first and then of others! How many young people are ready to sacrifice a little of their time and relieve the poor and the sick?
Satish Boolell, Deorishi’s son, expressed his gratitude as his father was finally honored for a job done with sincerity and dedication. This convent, he said, in his speech was in the 1960s a kind of family cocoon where Mrs.
Gayasingh welcomed children without any distinction. According to him, “his presence at the convent was symbolic”. His father felt he had to meet the children, understand what was going on and he talked with several people to find solutions.
Donations are an invaluable help for the poor. Satish’s last vision is of his father sitting in the reception room. Today, the convent has its library, its courtyard with fruit trees under which one can bask.
The years have passed. But the families of the district of streets like Vallonville, Saint Denis and Jacob have still freshly preserved the memory of a wooden house inhabited by Pandit and Mrs.
Gayasingh. It is thanks to their generosity, because they donate it to the Arya Samaj, and also thanks to their vision that many children and elderly people have a roof over their heads.
Without their humanitarian gesture, the “Gayasingh Convent” would not have existed. Other projects followed for a good management of the convent. What is the duty of memory for? It’s a way of not making a clean sweep of the past.
It’s not just about longing for the good old days, retro fashion. But it is much more than that: it is an opportunity during each function to read the message of the past that the present can enrich, renew and guide according to one’s convictions.
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